Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Miranda’s interests in marine life and ecosystems were sparked visiting the intertidal zones on the east coast of North America. Observing the coastal ecosystems and ocean waters teeming with life, her path was set. She spent her first year of University circumnavigating the North Atlantic Ocean on the tall ship, SS Sørlandet. Working at sea further allowed Miranda to observe aquatic organisms in their natural environment and solidified her interests. A window into different cultures and volunteer experiences also highlighted this year.
Miranda pursued her studies at Acadia University, Canada, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a double major in German. Honouring her parents’ heritage, she spent a year studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany. Later, at the Scottish Oceans Institute, St. Andrews University, Miranda pursued her Postgraduate Diploma in Marine Mammal Science. Attaining an intensive immersion in the academic research of marine mammal conservation. Her thesis on the survival and abundance of blue whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, was written in collaboration with MICS, Mingan Island Cetacean Study. For several years now she has participated, as their team member, in seasonal cetacean research: blue, fin and humpback whales, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Gaspe, Canada. The recent ‘Blue whale’ exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto gave Miranda the opportunity to work with the museum mammalogy department, immersing herself in the ‘behind the scenes’ scientific processes at a museum.
Miranda will spend her summer on the St. Lawrence river in a partnership of scientific research and tourist education as a zodiac captain and marine biologist guide for whales. This fall Miranda is looking forward to working with Nat Hab, guiding polar bear tours in Churchill, Manitoba.